1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to surgical instruments. More particularly, the present invention relates to instrument utilized in laparoscopic surgery, to in the isolation of the surface of a fluid vessel so that the wall of the vessel may be pierced for the introduction of a catheter or fluids thereunto.
2. General Background
In the field of surgery, it is quite common in the present state of the art, for surgery to take place on organs or the like within the human body, without the need to work through an incision, such as the abdomen, in order to have access to the organs. What is provided, in a popular technique, is to utilize a trocar which is an instrument inserted for example, into the abdominal wall, wherein laparoscopic surgical instruments can be operated through the trocar, and the operation can be viewed by the surgeon via the use of fiberoptic techniques, on a monitor, as he maneuvers the surgical instruments through the trocar.
For example, one of the techniques wherein this process is utilized is in the removal of the gall bladder, known as cholecystectomy. In this particular operation, a trocar is inserted into the abdominal cavity, and the cavity is expanded through the introduction of gas so that there is room to maneuver in the cavity. A second trocar is inserted into the wall of the abdominal cavity so that the surgeon may utilize a pair of forceps in order to undertake the necessary techniques for the ultimate removal of the gall bladder. During the gall bladder operation, it becomes necessary for the cystic bile duct leading between the common duct and the gall bladder to be clamped off at the base of the gall bladder, so that the gall bladder may ultimately be removed. However, following the clamping off of the cystic duct, a radiocontrast must be run into the common duct to the liver to assure that there are no gallstones or the like which may block the flow of that duct. This is accomplished by making a small incision in the wall of the cystic duct, and inserting a catheter into the duct; then, injecting a radiocontrast into the duct for viewing by x-ray.
In practicing this technique called cholangiography, one must take great care in assuring that when the incision is made in the wall of the duct that the duct is not completely severed. If this happens, then the abdomen of the patient must immediately be opened, and the surgeon, through normal surgical techniques must go into the abdomen and clamp off the duct as soon as possible. Furthermore, a second problem arises if the artery which runs along side the duct, between the liver and the gall bladder, is severed when the incision is made in the duct. Therefore, it is imperative that the duct be completely isolated from the artery so no inadvertent severing of the artery will take place.
Therefore, there is need in the art for an instrument that would enable a surgeon to isolate the cystic bile duct, make a precise incision in the wall of the duct, and insert a catheter into the duct for the injection of dye into the duct passageway, in a quick and efficient manner, so that one may reduce or completely eliminate the risk of inadvertent severing of the duct or severing of the nearby artery. Several patents were found as a result of the search conducted for such an instrument. The most pertinent art found was as follows:
______________________________________ PATENT NO. INVENTOR TITLE ______________________________________ 1,273,542 L. Schooler Catheter 2,922,420 P. A. Cheng Epidural Needle 3,877,434 Ferguson et al. Vascular Tourniquet 4,049,000 Williams Suction Retraction Instrument 4,203,429 Vasilevsky et al. Method of Removing Con- cretions From The Ureter 4,372,302 Akerlund Instrument for Retrieval of Retracted Threads of Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices 4,617,018 Nishi Irrigating Cannula For Extracting Lens Nucleus For Use In Extracapsular Cataract Extraction 4,552,554 Gould et al. Introducing Catheter 4,461,280 Baumgartner Surgical Instrument and Process 4,641,652 Hutterer et al. Applicator for Tying Sewing Threads 4,651,733 Mobin-Uddin Blood Vessel Holding Device And Surgical Method Using Same 4,798,193 Giesy et al. Protective Sheath Instrument Carrier 4,773,431 Lodomirski Intra-amniotic Loop Catheter 4,769,005 Ginsburg et al. Selective Catheter Guide 4,799,495 Hawkins et al. Localization Needle Assembly 4,803,984 Narayanan et al. Method For Performing Small Vessel Anastomosis 4,874,375 Ellison Tissue Retractor 4,931,039 Coe et al. Ventricular Catheter Introducer 4,878,487 Sinnett Illuminated Tissue Manipu- lator For Ophthalmic Surgery ______________________________________